I'm still thinking about a new canoe purchase, and I really only have room for one canoe. The majority of my trips will be with another paddler, usually my wife, but I also want the option of soloing it if she doesn't want to leave camp to fish, or else I couldn't find anybody to trip with me on a particular occasion. I have my eye on a specific 17' canoe which is symmetrical in design so I can paddle it from the bow seat. One problem I have is two extensive surgeries to an ankle and a knee have rendered the beloved kneeling technique almost out of the question for me. Some questions I have of you folks with experience in soloing tandems is can you heel a boat from a sitting position, should I have the canoe builder lower the seats a tad if kneeling will never be used, and if so how much, do any of you just prefer to solo a tandem from a seated position for long distance tripping, and what have been some of your experiences and general observations of soloing a tandem canoe in the Quetico/BWCA. Thank-you for taking the time to engage in this topic.